We were short with the bat, says AB de Villiers

The first match of the tri-series between the host West Indies and South Africa was a low scoring encounter. The pitch was pretty slow, which made it difficult for the batsmen to find their runs and the mystery spinner, Sunil Narine made an ever memorable comeback into national colors.

South Africa was bowled out for 188 runs in 46.5 overs with Narine picking up 6 wickets and ends with bowling figures of 6 for 27 runs from his 9.5 overs. Proteas had a decent start on a turning track with an opening partnership of 52 runs and after 30 overs they were at 130 for the loss of 2 wickets. But they lost their way after the dismissal of AB de Villiers.

West Indies in return, chase down the total with a run-a-ball knock from Kieron Pollard, who remained unbeaten on 67 runs.

“We laid the foundation perfectly well and felt 220-plus would be difficult to chase. But we were short with the bat. We lost our way a bit towards the end. Unfortunately, that cost us at the end of the night,” said the South African skipper AB de Villiers.

Also Read: Tri-Series 2016, 1st ODI Review: Windies draw first blood

The 32-year old also said that he is happy with the balance of his team and praised Narine as ‘one of the best bowlers in the world’. He feels the pitch was even slower than the pitches he played in the IPL. “I was pretty happy with the balance of the team. The wicket was tough to bat on and Sunil Narine is one of the best bowlers in the world at the moment. It was slower than any other wickets I had batted on during the IPL. There are no excuses and we lost our way at the end. That’s what cost us.”

The Windies skipper Jason Holder praised Narine and Pollard for the win. “Great to start the tournament with a win. I thought we summed up the conditions early and pulled it back. Credit should go to Sunil Narine the way he bowled. Polly played a quality innings. Pleasing as a captain and the guys were composed. Australia will be tough and these two teams are quality teams. Pollard backed himself and hit the ball over the top. Credit must go to him,” he concludes.